This invention relates to a quilt assembly configured to maintain shape and stabilise fill within the assembly.
Quilts are commonly constructed as a fabric bag to contain thermal insulation, with a series of parallel stitch runs which divide the bag into mutually parallel tubes in order to prevent undesirable movement of the insulation between adjacent tubes. The insulation tends to migrate within a tube during use and accumulate in dense clumps in corners.
Laundering operations present problems because quilts are often too large to fit into a domestic washing machine or tumble dryer. Drying in the open air may take a long time. During such periods, water stains may appear and spoil the appearance. The growth of bacteria and moulds within the fill may generate unpleasant odours. Dry-cleaning the entire article to remove minor marks such as drink stains is costly.
Manufacturers attempt to minimise this laundering disadvantage by provision of an envelope which can be laundered frequently, but the problems of migrating fill, slow drying and allergic responses in susceptible people remain.
In one aspect of the invention provides a quilt assembly having multiple, elongated compartments holding fill wherein each compartment has an upper surface and an opposed surface, the surfaces extending generally parallel to the plane of the quilt when the quilt is laid out flat, the fill being spread along the compartment between the surfaces, flexible connector means within the compartment and bridging between the surfaces, the connector means constraining the compartment to a substantially flat profile but permitting manual manipulation of fill along the compartment, the dimensions of the compartment and the length of the connector means being selected to maintain the substantially flat profile and thereby stabilise fill within the compartment in order to resist its migration in use.
The flexible connector means may be inserted at or near the centre of the compartment but better control is attained with multiple (eg. pairs) of longitudinally spaced connectors, typically at quarters or thirds of the compartment length. The connector means may be a cross wall. A cross wall of up to half the cross section of the compartment is feasible, allowing the remaining half of the cross section for charging the compartment with fill. Effective control of fill movement is obtainable with a cross wall of less than half the cross section and we have found that a fabric band of 15-35 mm width sewn across the centre axis of the compartment is useful for this purpose. In another embodiment there are laterally spaced pairs of bands located along the length of the compartment.
Clearly the connector function maintaining shape may be achieved without the connector providing any substantial blocking function to longitudinal movement of fill. In this arrangement the assembly relies solely on the stabilising function afforded by connector retaining the flat profile of the compartment.
In another more preferred aspect the invention comprise a quilt divided into pockets, wherein each pocket receives a removable fabric sleeve containing fill. Each sleeve has connectors between opposed surfaces as previously described in relation to the compartments of the first aspect, the sleeves effectively each form a removable compartment whereas in the first aspect the compartments were fixed. The sleeves may be locatable within the pockets by fasteners. Fasteners such as studs or hook and pile strips are useful. The ends of the sleeves may be arcuate in order to leave no corner into which the fill may become trapped. A semicircular closing run is convenient for this purpose. When stitched into a square ended sleeve, the curve leaves a pair of ears which may readily act as location sites for the fasteners.
The sleeves may be made of a single rectangular pattern piece joined by a single seam (or other known closures such as tape or the like). Alternatively, two like superimposed pieces may be joined by a seam around the perimeter thereof. The seams are preferably outwardly facing in order to create drag relative to the pocket in which the sleeve is accommodated, thereby stabilising the sleeve in the compartment. This reduces the need for fasteners. This also has the advantage of providing a smooth inner join within the sleeve thus inhibiting accumulation of fill that would otherwise occur with an internal seam.
The ends of the pockets may be closed by a common flap or by separate flaps. Each adjacent pair of pockets may be separated by a gusset which extends the length of the pocket and tapers down adjacent the end of the pocket. The gusset permits a quilt of uniform thickness. The effect is to create pockets of substantially rectangular cross section which in use are fully occupied by the sleeves containing fill. This promotes uniform insulation for the user.
The fill may be conventional and inserted into the sleeves by conventional techniques.